Page 10 of Be Our Ghost (The Duchess Hotel #2)

Seven

After hearing Celia’s story, Knox was brimming with curiosity. Usually, he avoided going into the Duchess on his days off. It was yet another way of maintaining the boundaries between his professional and personal life. But tonight? He’d never been so fired up to get back to the hotel.

Since the sun didn’t set until eight, it was still light out when he and Charlie walked over to the Duchess.

She led him past the loading dock and in through the service entrance.

Once they reached her office, she ducked into it and returned with an old brass key, which looked like a relic from the Victorian era. She handed it to him. “Check it out.”

He smoothed his hand over the worn metal. “I didn’t think you meant an actual key.”

“I know, right? When the hotel was upgraded in the 1980s, all the rooms switched to key cards except this one. We’ve only got a few copies.”

As they took the elevator to the third floor, Knox felt a surge of adrenaline.

Sneaking into the hotel after hours brought back a memory from his teenage years, when he and his older brother had ventured out after curfew and taken their dad’s car on a joyride.

They’d covered their tracks so badly their parents had found out and grounded them.

But that hadn’t diminished the excitement he’d felt at breaking the rules for once.

The storage room was located at the end of the hall, marked by a door that contrasted sharply with those of the guest rooms. Old and weathered, it was a solid slab of wood, outfitted with a brass doorknob decorated in an intricate design.

Charlie inserted the key but struggled to turn it.

With a grunt, she twisted harder until it produced an audible click.

The door swung open to reveal a large, darkened room.

Once they were inside, she flicked on a light switch, then closed the door behind them and pocketed the key. “It might be a bit dusty. It’s been ages since anyone came in here.”

Knox scanned the room, taking in all the cardboard boxes, old trunks, and ancient furniture.

White cloths covered some of the pieces, while others were left to gather dust. Atop a chest of drawers was an old-fashioned phonograph and a stack of vinyl records.

“This reminds me of the attic in my grandmother’s house.

I wonder if any of this stuff is worth something. ”

“It might be, but I think most of it is junk. From what I heard, this room was used to house things like worn-out linens or furniture that needed mending.” Charlie pulled up the shades, allowing the natural light to filter in. Dozens of tiny dust motes danced about in the air.

Knox peeked at a stack of books and brushed off the top one. “ The Savoy Cocktail Book . This publication is from 1930. I tried to buy a copy on eBay, but I was outbid.”

“Take it if you want. Anything here is up for grabs since no one’s done a proper inventory in decades.” Charlie let out a tiny sneeze, then wiped her nose. “I’m going to see if I can detect any ghostly vibes. Can you let me know if you sense anything unusual?”

Despite all the horror novels he’d read, Knox’s worldview skewed toward skepticism. He didn’t believe in ghosts, let alone expect to encounter one. For that reason, he wasn’t worried, just curious. But Charlie might be more apprehensive. “You’re okay with this, right?”

She clasped her hands together. “I wouldn’t attempt this on my own, but having you here makes me less nervous.”

“Good. I honestly don’t think anything bad’s going to happen. Let’s give it a go.”

Closing his eyes, he tried to focus.

What do you feel?

Dust, tickling his nose.

Stifling air, making his forehead bead with sweat.

Otherwise? Not a damn thing.

“I’m not feeling much of anything,” he said. “How about you?”

“Not really, but…” She wrapped her arms around herself.

“But what? Did you feel a burst of cold air?” According to the episodes they’d watched, a sudden drop in temperature might indicate a spirit was nearby.

“No, but…” Her forehead pinched in concentration. “I can smell roses. Not the flowers, but a softer scent. Like soap. Can you smell it?”

The only aroma he caught was the musty odor of a room that had been locked up for far too long. “I’m not getting it.”

“I’m also feeling…” Her voice trembled. “Kind of awful.”

“Physically or emotionally?”

“Emotionally. Like the way I felt after I broke up with Randolph. I knew I’d made the right move, but sometimes I’d lie in bed and wallow in misery and self-doubt. I’d wonder if I could ever trust myself to get involved with anyone again after making such a terrible decision.”

Fuck. That sounded miserable. “Charlie, if something—or someone—in this room is messing with your mind, we should leave. It’s not worth it.”

She shook her head quickly. “It’s fine. Really. Maybe I’m feeling this way because we saw Randolph last night.”

A plausible explanation, but it didn’t satisfy him completely. Wanting to finish up their investigation, he made a wide circuit of the room, peeking under dust cloths and looking behind dressers. Other than a few spiders, he didn’t see anything creepy.

He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “I’m no expert, but I’m not detecting a ghostly presence. I guess we should have waited for Celia.”

“It’s okay. Coming up here makes me feel brave.”

He glanced over at her, relieved her sunny smile had returned. “You are brave. Keep telling yourself that.”

“Thanks. We should get going, though.” She went to open the door, only to tug at the knob in frustration. “Can you help me out? I think it’s stuck.”

“Sure.” He tried turning the knob, but it didn’t budge. “It feels more like it’s locked, but that doesn’t make any sense, unless someone locked us in here from the outside.”

“I can’t imagine why anyone would do that. Maybe the lock malfunctioned?”

“Do you have your key?” When she handed it to him, he inserted it into the keyhole and attempted to unlock the door. The key wouldn’t move. He left it in there, perplexed over what to do next. “Huh. I dunno what’s wrong.”

Charlie grabbed hold of his arm. “Do you think it’s a ghost?”

He was on the verge of teasing her until he realized she was genuinely frightened.

“I’m sure this door is just old. Like you said, hardly anyone ever uses this room.

” He stepped back a few paces, with her still clutching onto his arm.

“Let’s wait a minute, then we can give it another try.

In the meantime, is there anyone you can call?

Isn’t there an overnight maintenance man? ”

Knox couldn’t remember the guy’s name offhand, but he’d called him last month for assistance when the men’s washroom in the bar had backed up.

She perked up. “Good plan. I left my two-way radio in my office, but I can call the front desk and have them send him up here. I’m sure he has a key.” When she pulled out her phone, a frown crossed her face. “That’s weird. I’m not getting any bars. And the hotel’s Wi-Fi isn’t showing up either.”

He took out his phone but couldn’t get a signal. “Same here. This storage area must be a dead zone.” As soon as he said it, he regretted his choice of words. “Which…doesn’t mean it’s haunted. Maybe it’s because it was never renovated, like the rest of the hotel.”

Her lower lip trembled. “I’m kind of freaked-out. I’ve always been able to get a signal at the hotel. Even in the basement. And no one knows we’re up here. What if we’re locked in all night?”

It wouldn’t be the worst thing. “I doubt that’ll be the case. If it does happen, at least we have each other for company.”

Her anxious look filled him with guilt. Even if he didn’t mind getting stuck, she wasn’t comfortable with it. Coming here after hours had been a big mistake.

“Hang on, okay?” He released her arm and dragged an ancient settee until it was a few feet away from the door.

After dusting it off, he motioned for her to sit beside him.

“We’ll try the key again in a bit. If we can’t get it to work, we could look for a way to pry open the door. Does that sound like a good plan?”

“O…okay.” Her voice was still wobbly, but she sat beside him.

He took her hand and rubbed his thumb over the soft skin. “Let’s talk about something else to take our minds off this room. Last night, you told me you loved the first three seasons of The Hidden Forest . Did you have a favorite storyline?”

“Did I ever.” A dreamy smile crossed her face.

“I was so invested in Princess Elodie and Finn the Woodsman. Even though she was an Elven princess, and he was a mortal, I wanted them to end up together. When they finally confessed their love, it was everything I’d hoped for.

I watched that episode so many times.” She gave a short laugh.

“I’m guessing it was too sappy for you?”

“Nope. I was into it. Like you, I was rooting for them.”

During the show’s second season, he’d come up with that storyline to reflect his own relationship with Lila, who’d played the princess.

He’d fought hard for it, convincing their showrunner the romance would resonate with their viewers.

He’d been right. The love story had been a huge fan favorite.

Given that his departure from the show had coincided with the start of the fourth season, he wasn’t surprised when the romance took a sharp turn.

The woodsman had perished, and the princess ended up pursuing a different love interest—a morally gray character who embodied a darker side of the show’s fantasy world.

“You shipped Finn and Princess Elodie?” Charlie asked.

“Absolutely. I was all in.”

He expected her to be pleased they shared the same opinion. But in the blink of an eye, her expression darkened. He drew away, bewildered by the angry look on her face.

She glared at him. “So, you haven’t always hated romance?”

“I don’t hate it.”

“Sure didn’t seem like it last Valentine’s Day. You called romance a crock.”